“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Review
Director Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic, Darjeeling Limited) has long established himself as a master of poignant satire, but he strayed a little from his usual subject matter with his claymation adaptation of Roald Dahl’s childrens’ book “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” Dahl’s tale of the lovable trickster Mr. Fox is brought to life with a stunning cast, quick-witted dialogue, and charming animation. Plus it has a killer soundtrack.
Mr. Fox (George Clooney) a once great chicken thief, and now local news columnist, decides to pull one last job before finally settling down. He moves back above ground and creates a master plan to steal from three of the “meanest, nastiest, and ugliest farmers” ever known to woodland critters: Bogis, Bunce and Beans (Robin Hurlstone, Hugo Guiness, Michael Gambon). It isn’t done so easily however, Fox’s wife Felicity (Meryl Streep), his son Ash (Jason Schwartzman), his nephew Kristofferson (Eric Chase Anderson) and a whole host of animal characters become involved when the farmers retaliate.
The film is filled with humor, but it isn’t ever crude. The film does a terrific job of keeping the story true to the original, and any additions made work with the mood Dahl originally created, rather than competing with it. It can be said that “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is an adult’s film that a child may take interest in, rather than a children’s film that an adult may enjoy, and there’s some truth to that. There aren’t adult themes or really any terribly inappropriate topics in the film, but this isn’t your typical kid’s film.
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” is rated PG for action, smoking, and slang humor. See a parent’s guide to “Fantastic Mr. Fox” here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432283/parentalguide. It runs a total 87 minutes, and is currently playing at Savoy 16 and Beverly. To see a trailer check the following link: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3040936473/.
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